


Pedigree

by quicksilver_nightsky



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alternate Universe - Pets, Body Modification, Cat/Human Hybrids, M/M, Pedigree Vs Rescues, The love story of Pet!Promptis as told by Owners!Gladnis, scientific experimentation
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-03
Updated: 2019-05-05
Packaged: 2019-09-06 03:12:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 13,984
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16823968
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/quicksilver_nightsky/pseuds/quicksilver_nightsky
Summary: Catboy!Pet AU.On one rainy day, Ignis Scientia walks into his gym with Prompto, a rescue Pet. Gladio’s life will never be the same. (And neither will his Pet Noct’s.)





	1. Meeting

**Author's Note:**

> Bruh I was thinking about Mercurial Obedience when I remembered I had this chilling in my google docs. Figured I’d drop it online for you all to enjoy.

Gladio’s first contact with him was on the phone. He was reading the latest Best Seller behind the counter when the old landline rang. Hardly anyone called that number, so - expecting it to be spam - he picked up the line and held it to his ear. 

It was quiet on the other line - other than the sounds of heavy rainfall outside a window. “Hello?” A voice asked, uncertain. 

“Yeah.”

“Is this Amicitia Fitness?”

That pulled his attention away from the print of his novel. The voice was pleasant - with a cultured accent and a deep confidence. “Yeah. Amicitia Jr speaking,” he replied, slipping back into professional mode. 

“Ah. Superb.” There is a shift of paper on the other side of the line, a scratch of a pen. “I have a question regarding your gymnasium policies.”

Gymnasium. How cute. “Yeah? Shoot.”

“Your ad in the Yellow Pages indicates that you are Pet Friendly.”

That’s not exactly a question. He glanced across the floor to where his own Pet was curled up, not having looked up from his Switch once during the entire conversation. “Yeah. Members are welcome to bring them in.”

“Onto the floor, or do you have a restricted crèche by the entry?”

Gladio’s gym is a single room space above a juice bar. He wouldn’t have space for Pet Room even if he cared to. “Nah,” he replied. “You can leave ‘em behind the counter if you want space?” He offered. 

“Quite.” A scribble of a pen. “What is your policy regarding Pets using the equipment?”

That floored him. “Huh?”

“There are many gyms with a policy against Pet Usage,” the voice continued calmly. “I am enquiring as to whether Amicitia Fitness has one of a similar kind.”

He collected his thoughts together. He’d never even thought about it. “Most people take their Pets to the Training Yard.”

The voice gave a disapproving “Hm”. Something that sounded like a line crossing something out. “I see.”

“We don’t have a policy against it,” he answered quickly, before Sexy Voice could hang up. “Just not something I’ve been asked before.”

“Is it an enquiry you would have to make of upper management?” He asked, less disapproving. “I would hate to cause trouble at your establishment.”

“Nah. It’s cool. Bring ‘em in.” His father _invested_ but like hell he had any hand in what actually happened in his business. 

“Very well. Thank you, Mr Amicitia. Would six this evening suit?”

Six? That was late. “Yeah. I’ll be open.”

“Very well. Until this evening, Mr Amicitia.” The flat tone followed soon after. 

Shaking his head in confusion, he hung up the hand piece. “I just had the weirdest phone call, Noct.”

His Pet looked up, stylus held between one fang and one incisor. “Weirder than the wrong number for the fetish club?” He drawled flatly. 

“...okay. Not that weird.”

***

Noct was sleeping when five-fifty came around and the door to the stairs opened. Gladio looked over from where he’d been rotating the drinks fridge. 

The tall, svelte guy in the suit must be Sexy Voice. The neat Italian loafers were wet and the hems of his pants were soaked. But the rest of him was relatively dry, probably from the umbrella he hung up on the coat hooks. He was as hot as Gladio hoped he’d be - refined, handsome features, and pale brown hair gelled perfectly into place. Gladio watched as he removed driving gloves and then forced his attention to the other body. 

It was the Pet in question. He looked _nothing_ like the kind of Pets he’d seen before though. 

Noct was a pedigree Lucian - a direct line from Izunia Lucis Caelum. (His proper registered name was Prince Noctis Lucis Caelum CXIV - but he’d very quickly become Noct.) He had all the features of the Lucian pedigree stock - pale, unblemished skin, dark hair, slender form with nice muscle definition, and a placid temperament. (He _did_ have blue eyes though, which disqualified him from Comps and made his Grandmother terf him off for companionship adoption. It was a throwback from the Tennebrae dams they’d bred with for the last few generations to avoid inbreeding issues like hip dysplasia and heart conditions, but at the time it still disqualified him as a Lucian breed standard.)

Neither did he look like the Tenebrae pedigree, the few that Gladio had seen. They were all tall and slender, with ghostly pale hair and intense blue-green eyes. Their temperament was supposed to be sweet and caring - when they weren’t in Comps, they tended to be trained as Healer’s Pets or Emotional Support Companions. (But one of the only two Tenebrae Pets he’d seen was a grumpy asshole with a superiority complex.)

If it weren’t for the ears, Gladio might not have guessed he was even a Pet. A sunny blond, with skin freckled all over, he had purple-blue eyes - and there was a slight paunch of weight around his underside and rump. Most telling of all, however, was the temperament. Blondie was twitching with energy as he looked around - though with a docked tail and ears, it was hard to read if it was excitement or anxiety. He was on a harness, but the slack of the lead told Gladio it was for the sake of the leash laws than any actual restraint. 

He closed the drinks fridge, grabbing both their attention, and came back over to the counter. “Hey. Gladio Amicitia.”

“Mister Amicitia,” Sexy Voice greeted, extending a hand toward him. “Ignis Scientia. We spoke on the phone.”

He had to guess it was anxiety - Blondie was trying his best to disappear behind Scientia’s frame. “Is this the Pet you brought over to work out?”•

“Indeed. There have been no further issues, I hope?” 

Gladio just shook his head. Without further conversation, Scientia unclipped the harness and led Blondie over to the Treadmills. He set him up with an iPad that showed nature scenes and a set of headphones before letting the Pet run. 

Gladio was a trained PT, it was hard not to judge as he went about cleaning for the night. Blondie didn’t have the elegance of Agility Pets—his gait was all wrong and he was shit at pacing himself. But he had energy and focus.

“Prompto.”

He jolted out of his observation. Scientia was standing on the other side of the counter, waiting patiently. 

“Huh?”

“His name. It’s Prompto.”

Gladio nodded and - not wanting to seem rude for staring - added, “he’s fast.”

Scientia nodded. “I usually take him to the off-leash Pet park,” he explained. “But, well…” He gestured to the window. 

Right. The weather. Gladio hardly noticed - but it had been raining for a week straight at this point. The city hadn’t exactly _flooded_ , but hardly anyone was venturing out unless they had to. Gladio had to put off a hike because the trails were closed.

“He’s very energetic - he gets restless if he’s not exercised regularly,” Scientia continued. “So you have my gratitude for allowing us to use your establishment.”

“Can I ask… why _don’t_ you take him to the Training Yard?” He asked carefully. 

“Ah.” A delicate hand pushed up a pair of spectacles further onto his face. “He’s a rescue, you see,” he answered softly. “One of the Besithia Facility’s survivors.”

Gladio winced. Everyone had heard about that. Pet Farms were bad enough, but Besithia had been horrifically worse. Bred for fetish instead of companionship, they’d been experimented on and modified. There had been a video circling around the time of the bust showing the Pets seeing sunlight and grass for the first time that made him all misty-eyed. He hadn’t followed the story, exactly, but the community had talked about it enough he’d picked up some details. Most of the Pets died without the chemical soup they’d survived on. Malnourished and confined all of their lives, not even getting into the horrifying experiments, some just hadn’t been able to adapt to freedom. The childer had survived — and Prompto did seem about the right age. 

“It’s good of you. To adopt.” He managed out. 

Scientia’s eyes flicked over to where Noct was passed out, snuffling in his sleep - but visibly pedigree. “Well. I wanted a companion, and I have always preferred rescues rather than bought Pets.”

Bristling, just a little, Gladio grunted in Noct’s direction. “My grandma gave me him,” he explained. “She does Dog Shows, and breeds for the EaRBI.” The Ethical and Responsible Breeding Initiative had been going for a couple generations - a way to get Pedigree standards without Pet Farming and inbreeding. “He’s too lazy for Show anyway.”

Noct peeked one eye open to give him a glare, then turned over to go back to sleep. 

Gladio turned back to talk to Scientia, but the guy was across the room - coaxing a visibly exhausted Prompto off the Treadmill. They cleaned up in the attached locker room and then came out, redressed. “What do I owe you?” Scientia asked, as he fitted his gloves back on. 

“We’ll call it a Free Trial,” Gladio answered. He handed him a pamphlet with the membership information. “I hope I see you again soon.”

Scientia made a low hum, eyes roving over his form in an almost flirtatious way. “Perhaps you will.”


	2. Sleepover

It was the third date. Gladio had invited Ignis over for dinner - and he’d agreed, but only under the condition he did the cooking. 

Ignis was a trained chef, and studying his Bachelor of Food Sciences to become a qualified nutritionist. Gladio hadn’t wanted to argue with him about food so had just agreed. 

But earlier this evening, Iggy had called to cancel. “My regular sitter is in hospital - nothing worrisome, she’s in labour - so I’m afraid I shall have to cancel. Prompto can’t be left alone overnight, you see.”

The word overnight had sent a shiver down his spine. Too excited by that, he’d pursued with an offer: “why don’t you bring him? He can meet Noct. If they don’t get along, you can always take him home…”

Ignis seemed almost relieved at the offer, but adjusted it. Gladio would bring Noct over to his place instead - “Prompto will be much more comfortable if he can meet a new Pet in a safe environment.”

So Gladio dressed up, guilted Noct into wearing one of his nicer outfits. They had to make a good impression. His Switch was fully charged and hidden deep inside his pockets. Gladio didn’t bother asking him to try and be social anymore, just let him take his games and hide in a corner somewhere.

Ignis lived in a neat Townhouse a few blocks away from the Pet Park they frequented. It was a nice, upperclass neighbourhood - the sort of place Ignis would fit right in. As they left the Ultima, a froofy couple was walking another Pedigree Lucian down the road. 

The other Pet turned his nose up at Noct, who only rolled his eyes and slouched more. He never did get along other Pedigrees, outside ‘Reggie’ (King Regis Lucis Caelum CXIII), his sire who lived with Gladio’s dad, after hip dysplasia put him out of the Comps. He’d had a friend growing up, Luna. (Lunafreya Nox Flauret, her lingeage as old as Noct’s from an elite Tennebrae stock.) But that was… about it. He was pretty solitary.

He looked placid as ever as they waited for the door to open, but the faint twitch of his long, sleek tail told Gladio that he was anxious.

The door was thrown open by Ignis’s Pet - Prompto? Yeah, Prompto. The blond was practically vibrating with excitement - if he still had a tail, Gladio would assume it would be wagging so fast it blurred. 

He launched himself in a hug at Gladio, who returned it with some surprise. Prompto made a surprised laugh at being lifted off his feet in the strength of the hug, and settled back onto his feet once Gladio had released him. He must’ve been back to his running routine again - the weight he’d noticed the first time he’d met them, gathering around his hips and middle, had been worked off. 

“Prompto,” Ignis’s voice called from deeper in the house. “What have I told you about attacking people at the door? You’re letting the warm air out.”

The Pet looked sheepish for a moment, and closed the door again. It was then that he noticed Noct standing slouched behind Gladio. Tension filled the air - Prompto’s ears twitched with anxiety. Gladio tried to stay calm, lest they feed off his own tension. 

Prompto was the one who made the first move. He slapped the other Pet on the back and gave him a bright, sunny grin. There was a little tension around the edges of his mouth, but it was obvious he was making an effort. There was a moment, and then Noct gave a slight smile and a low ‘heh’. He reached forward and slapped Prompto’s back in return. 

Gladio relaxed. Prompto led them through the house, opening the door to show them a bathroom, and gesturing through an archway to a comfortable living room, a set of opened double doors to a fancy dining room with the long, ebony table set up for a romantic meal for two - and finally, the fanciest kitchen Gladio had ever seen in someone’s home before.

“There you are,” Ignis said fondly. He set aside his wooden spoon on a little stand to keep it from touching the marble and came around to greet Gladio with a soft kiss. Gladio heard Noct make an unimpressed huff and smiled slightly.

Ignis pulled back and gave the dark-haired Pet a fond smile. “Prompto, why don’t you show Noct to the Pet Suite?”

The blond stared at him, suddenly tensing. His ears tilted with anxiety, and the look on his face was almost betrayal. Ignis merely arched a single eyebrow in his Pet’s direction.

Prompto huffed and gave Noct a gesture to follow him. The Pedigree Pet shoved his hands in his pockets and followed the rescue out of the kitchen.

  


After they’d eaten, but before they settled into the living room with a bottle of Tennebraen Cabernet, Ignis headed to the kitchen to put together dinner for is pet. “Has Noct eaten?” Ignis asked, portioning out some of the cobb salad they’d had into a bowl for Prompto. 

“No,” Gladio began, “but he’s not going to touch salad with a ten-foot pole.” At Ignis’s look, he added: “he hates vegetables.”

Ignis rolled his eyes. “You spoil him. Well, what will he eat?”

After some fuss, they headed into the Pet Suite with Prompto’s salad, and a plate of fish sticks and fries for Noct. His pet had docked his switch at the TV and was playing…. whatever game he had in. Something about...killing things and collecting items or whatever. They were all the same. Prompto was watching with absorption - but he turned to look when they entered. He perked up and came over, cuddling Ignis before he took his salad. 

Noct barely looked up when Gladio puts his plate down in front of him, giving a grunt of acknowledgement. He’s fond of Noct of course, but he’s starting to see what the appeal of Rescues are. Prompto is affectionate and friendly, while Noct and all other Lucian Pedigrees he knows are aloof and calm. 

“Prompto,” Ignis said calmly. “Gladio and I are going to be spending the night together. Please try not to disturb us if you can.”

The blond looked a little sulky but nodded. Noct nodded vaguely at Gladio in reply. Noct was more than capable of looking after himself. As long as he has his games and somewhere (anywhere) to sleep he’d be fine for the night. 

  


And then of course it’s when he was laying on top of his partner, kissing and grinding like teenagers, that he heard a shy tapping on the wood frame of the door. He pulled off with a scowl that Prompto flinched to see.

But the blond didn’t look too good, actually. There was a high colour in his cheeks, like he’s feverish, and his hands are shaking as he twists the hem of his shirt into bunches. His docked ears are bent back, expecting to be yelled at. 

“Prompto?” Ignis asked quietly, his voice surprisingly gentle. “Ah. Are you…?”

Prompto just nodded - his eyes looked shiny as he dropped his gaze to the ground, trying to hide behind his hair. 

Ignis sighed and sat up, pulling out from under Gladio. “My apologies, Gladiolus. Why don’t you wait upstairs for me? I’ll be along shortly.”

It was twenty minutes before Ignis came to the bedroom, shirt sleeves folded over his elbows. Gladio looked up from the novel he found in the bedside table, along with lube, condoms and a very enticing vibe. “Everything okay?” He asked carefully. 

Ignis nodded, stepping out of his shoes and unbuttoning his shirt as he approached the bed. “Now. Where were we?”


	3. Petsitting

Gladio didn’t catch the pattern. To him it was just: sometimes when he stayed the night at Ignis’s place, Prompto would appear flushed and disappear with Ignis for twenty minutes or so - and sometimes he didn’t. But the truth of the fact was, it usually only happened when Noct came along too. 

He didn’t always bring his Pet - Noct was perfectly happy to stay at home on his own. Sometimes Ignis called (he barely ever texted) to request he leave Noct behind, if Prompto had a bad day or was in a mood. (On those days, Gladio didn’t even get his customary hug at the door.) But other times, Noct just didn’t want to come - whether he was in one of his own moods, or he was into a game that wasn’t portable like his Switch, or whether he was sitting on the back verandah to fish in the river that ran out the back of his property. (Prompto always lost a little bit of his spark when he looked around Gladio and the other Pet wasn’t there.)

And then, one afternoon, Ignis was obliged to travel overnight to a conference. “Dear,” he asked Gladio over lunch, their Pets playing Go Fish under the table at the cafe, “Would you mind terribly staying at my house tonight? My usual sitter can’t stay overnights with her newborn, and Prompto is too anxious for travel.”

“Yeah, I guess,” he said, before taking a mouthful of steak. 

“Noctis,” Ignis said, addressing the Pet, “you’re welcome to stay the night if you so desire as well.” Through the glass, Noct looked up at them both and just shrugged indifferently - the closest he’d get to an answer. 

It was decided then. Gladio headed over with an overnight bag after he closed the gym for the night. 

Ignis was already packed, and gave instructions for Prompto’s routine. “I’ve prepared his Caesar Salad for dinner already, and he’ll help himself to breakfast and lunch. There’s a casserole in the oven if you’d like - tuna mornay,” he clarified, looking at the blank-faced Noct. The Pet almost smiled. “I believe I’ve taken care of everything. Call me if there are any issues.”

He kissed Gladio goodbye, rested a fond hand on Noct’s head, and then left. 

Prompto was sulking in the Pet Suite. He was sprawled on the cushioned window seat, a series of lumps under a thick duvet. Gladio left Noct to settle himself, and went to watch the game on Ignis’s little television. 

It was two in the morning when he was woken up by Noct knocking on the bedroom door. He opened up, scowling down at his Pet. 

Noct didn’t look even slightly apologetic. “Something’s wrong with Prom,” he announced. His normally placid voice sounded anxious, and his tail and ears are twitching about restlessly. “He locked himself in the bathroom and he sounds like he’s hurt.”

Gladio swore and yanked a pair of sweatpants on, following Noct back downstairs to the Pet Suite. The door was locked, but he muscled it open with minimal damage to the frame. Prompto was curled up in the tub, the shower head blasting down cold water on him. He was in foetal position, clutching at his stomach and making pained whimpers.

He knelt by the tub. “Prompto?” He said, making sure his voice was gentle. “Can you tell me what’s wrong?” The blond only shook his head in answer, curling up tighter and hiding his face in his knees. “I’m going to call Ignis, okay?”

Noct was lingering in the doorway, looking helpless. 

Ignis answered the phone after one missed call. “Gladiolus?” He murmured, half-asleep. “S’going on?”

“It’s Prompto,” he answered, over the sound of the shower. “He’s… He’s in pain or something? He’s curled up in the tub, under the showerhead.”

Ignis’s breath inhaled sharply. “Bloody hell,” he cursed. “I thought it would be… I mean, I made sure to, before I left…”

“Ignis you’re not making sense.”

“Put me on speaker.” He did, and moved the phone just out of the way of the spray. “Prompto? Can you hear me?” There was only a vague whimper of acknowledgement in answer. “Is it happening again?”

“Uh-huh,” the Pet whined in answer.

“So the session before I left didn’t help?” 

He made a sort-of noise in response. 

Ignis sighed. “Gladiolus. Is Noctis there?” 

“Yeah, by the door.”

“Noctis, can you please go back to the bedroom? Prompto would prefer some privacy.” Noct huffed and disappeared from the doorway and they waited for the door to the Pet Suite to close before Ignis spoke again, to ask Gladio to take him off speaker. “I wouldn’t have revealed this yet, let alone expect you to perform the necessary tasks. But unfortunately, I miscalculated.”

“You can ask me, Ignis,” he replied quietly. “I’ll do it. If I can.”

“You’re more than capable.” Ignis sighed again. “I need you to perform digital stimulation to Prompto’s prostate until he produces no more semen.”

He choked on his throat. “I’m sorry what?”

He sighed. “I told you,” he murmured, “that Prompto was a rescue from the Besithia Facility. He was a childer at the time, but he hadn’t escaped the monstrous experimentations of the laboratories.” He cleared his throat. “Prompto needs his prostate milked regularly. Or… well, you can see the result. Can I trust you to help him, Gladiolus? I don’t want to make him suffer longer than I have to.”

Gladio took a deep breath. “Okay. I’ll do it. But… I’m not comfortable with this, Ignis.”

“I know. I apologise. I’ll make it up to you when I get home.”

Gladio wasn’t exactly inexperienced. Ignis had directed him to a pair of sanitary gloves under the bathroom sink, which made it easier to be clinical about this. It was gross, thinking about a Pet as a sexual being. But as soon as he went for the gloves, Prompto was moving - turning off the shower, kicking off his pyjama pants and propping his hips up for access. 

He was already unnaturally slick on the inside, which made him recoil in disgust at first. But at least it eased the way. He told himself Prompto had already prepped beforehand and closed his eyes, trying to imagine he was anywhere else. His prostate was engorged, but at least that made it easier to find. He rubbed his finger against the bundle of nerves until Prompto moved away and turned the shower back on.

His voice was weak, hoarse, and filled with shame. “Thanks, Gladio.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaand that (plus three paragraphs of the next chapter) is all I’ve written friends. Maybe there’ll be more once I’ve worked on some other fics LOL.


	4. Purr

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gladio gets like, Cartanica levels of assholery in this chapter.

They broke up over it. Ignis had explained, insisted, that there was nothing sexual in his relationship with Prompto. He was merely being a responsible Pet owner. It had been too much for Gladio, knowing that his boyfriend was fingerfucking a Pet to orgasm frequently. 

He took Noct out to the Farm - let his buddy Nyx look after the gym while he took an extended vacation on his Grandmother’s property. 

It was winter when he came back to the city. Noct was lazier than ever, falling asleep inside the fluffy hood of his winter coat at every possible opportunity. 

Noct had been extra surly since they left the city. Or maybe it was just because there’d been childer at the farm — he always did hate other pets. He’d refused to talk at all and had actually _bit_ Gladio several times when he’d tried to wake him up before noon. 

But they were back now, and hopefully his Pet would settle back down. The weather was awful. Not blizzard-level snow but enough the roads were restricted and nobody ventured outdoors unless they had to. 

Business had picked up a little, Nyx said as he worked the handover, a couple more people and a regular or two — outdoors types who needed something while the weather was bad. 

He should’ve guessed, just from that. But he didn’t. 

He was chilling by the window, the bundle that was Noctis playing his Switch behind the counter, when the door opened. 

“Nyx, I’ve brought along some of those ulwaat berry muffins you like!” That voice. 

Gladio looked up and saw Ignis Scientia walking back into his life. He looked unfairly good, snow dusted in his spiked hairdo, slowly unwrapping a soft cashmere scarf from his neck. A coat was already hung up on a hook beside an umbrella. 

Gods, it hurt to see him looking so good. And then he stepped aside and he spotted the rescue Pet and the guilt and discomfort settled back into his stomach. 

“Nyx isn’t here.” 

The tension that overcame Ignis’s posture was nothing compared to the Pet. Prompto curled in on himself, trying to disappear behind Ignis’s body. One hand reached out to tug his sleeve, silently asking his owner that they leave. 

But Ignis took a deep breath, and worked to remove Prompto’s harness from his Pet’s concave body. “Welcome back, Gladiolus. Nyx mentioned that you were spending time at your grandmother’s farm.”

“Oh you’ve been getting close to _Nyx_ , have you?” Gladio sneered at him. 

A muscle in Ignis’s jaw ticked — a sure sign he was getting angry and holding himself in check. “We’re perfectly amicable.”

“Yeah and exactly how often have you been coming in to get chummy with Nyx?” Gladio growled. There was jealousy, of course there was. If Ignis had a type, Nyx answered it. But there was a protectiveness of his gym — his space. They’d broken up, Ignis shouldn’t be _here_. He should’ve found another gym and left him alone. 

Ignis pushed up his glasses. “Prompto and I have been coming in regularly since the weather turned too cold to take exercise in the park,” he responded calmly. 

“Right,” he said aggressively, folding his arms over his chest. Biceps twitching with repressed anger. 

“I paid for a year’s membership,” Ignis pointed out coolly. “I thought it best to use it at least.”

Gladio leaned forward. “ _You_ paid for a membership. Not that freak of a science experiment you call a Pet.”

“Gladiolus.” Ignis’s voice was low, dangerous — a warning. 

“Does your new best buddy Nyx know you fingerfuck its sloppy ass?”

Angry colour appeared in Ignis’s high cheekbones. “I don’t care for your insinuations,” he said coldly. “Nyx and I are merely acquaintances.”

“Yeah, sure. We’ll see how much he wants to be _acquainted_ for you when he finds out what a sick thing you’ve got going on with your Pet.”

There was one thing Gladio always forgot, that he wished he’d remembered at that moment. Pedigree Pets might ignore what you were doing unless they thought it any of their business, but that didn’t mean they weren’t listening. They might pretend not to be paying attention, but they were always listening. He always forgot that — until Noct casually brought something up later that he’d been saying when he thought his Pet was too absorbed in his game. He was fond of Noct, but sometimes he tended to ignore his Pet like furniture. All Pets, for that matter. 

Including Prompto. Who at that very moment began to sniffle. Both owner’s eyes turned to him — pressed up against a wall as if he could disappear, holding himself around the chest, face wet with tears that had gone completely unnoticed until his sniffling had started. 

Gladio felt his anger deflate like a busted basketball, only leaving behind a horrible sense of guilt. 

Ignis inhaled sharply, turned a furious gaze back on Gladio. “How _dare_ you?” He snarled. “I am more than aware that you let your temper get the better of your sense when you are upset, but there was no need to be so needlessly cruel! Do you think Prompto can _help_ his condition?”

“I’m sorry,” he murmured, genuinely remorseful. 

Ignis turned to touch Prompto, calm him down. Gladio saw it coming — opened his mouth to warn Ignis an instant before a hand swiped out to scratch four deep lines into Ignis’s hand. “Prompto!” Ignis cried out in shock and surprise, more than pain. 

The Pet took advantage of his recoil to rush past him, wedging himself protectively under the front desk behind the counter. 

Ignis looked hurt — but not confused. He came around the corner of the counter and crouched down so Gladio could no longer see him. “Prompto,” he said soothingly. He only got a frightened hiss in reply. “It’s alright. Nobody is angry at you. How about we go home, Hm? I’ll make you a nice soup.”

It didn’t seem to work. Gladio approached the counter, prepared to grab the Pet by the soft of his neck and drag him out if he needed to. 

And then he saw something weird. Or not so much weird as something he’d never expected. Noct. Being _friendly_.

His Pet brushed past Ignis, smacking him in the face with his tail indifferently, and curling himself gracefully under the table. He crowded Prompto against the two walls he’d wedged himself against, creating an additional barrier or protection — and then he began to _purr_. 

Gladio’s jaw hung open. He’d never heard Noct purr once in his _life_. Reggie once, when Noct had been young and playful. Lucii Pedigrees tended not to in general. And yet, there it was. Noct protecting Prompto from a perceived threat, and purring to try and soothe him. 

As Gladio gaped, his Pet turned to glare at them both. “Go away,” he said, his voice still rumbling with the sub-vocal purrs. 

Ignis stood smoothly, straightening out the wrinkles in his pants from his crouch. “Prompto, I’ll only be downstairs in the car, I promise. I’m not leaving you here, just giving you some space. I’ll be back in twenty minutes, okay?”

He didn’t get a reply, but Noct gave him a nod in response, hands gently kneading Prompto’s sides. 

Ignis turned on Gladio and gave him a cool glare. “You. You’re coming with me. We’re going to _talk_.”


	5. Yell at Gladio Time

Ignis was silent and angry as they sat in the stillness of the car, a light dusting of slow covering the windshield. 

Gladio was composing his apology to start when Ignis broke the silence first: “when it first snowed, I telephoned your gymnasium. I wanted to be sure that you would be comfortable with us returning to your establishment for exercise. It took hours to locate your gym when I first sought out somewhere that might let Prompto use the equipment, I wished to spare myself further time if it could be helped. Nyx informed me that you had gone on extended vacation, and that he did not have an expected return date. I urged him to contact you and enquire if it was alright that we come — but he said that you had asked not to be bothered.” His hands were tense on the steering wheel. “If I had known that you had returned to work today, I would have telephoned ahead. I know your discomfort with Prompto and I, and seeing ex-partners in public is unpleasant enough as it is after a break up without that added component.” His hands tightened again, white knuckles with the force of his anger. Through gritted teeth he hissed: “but then you made Prompto cry.”

He winced and looked out the window. “I’m sorry about that. I really am. I lost my temper, forgot he was there and listening.”

“I’m aware that in your ill temper you have as much subtlety as a punch to the groin,” Ignis replied, his tone colder than the icy streets outside the car. “But you were deliberately cruel. Prompto has known so much suffering, Gladiolus. I have had him eighteen months, and in that time I have done my best to give him a safe, loving environment — where he doesn’t have to feel ostracised for his past or the lingering effects of it. With a slew of careless words you might have _destroyed_ a year of recovery.”

Gladio folded his arms over his chest. He hadn’t known that. “Might not be that bad. Could just be a relapse of old behaviours as a protective mechanism.”

“You’d better bloody well hope you are right, Amicitia. I don’t want to see him go back to the constant terror that leaves him only feeling safe when he’s hiding under a solid piece of furniture.” Ignis have a heavy sigh. One hand raised to massage his forehead. 

“If there’s anything I can do to help…”

“You will apologise to him, and tell him that your words were delivered in a deliberate attempt to wound me, and that you do not believe them.” He raised his chin coolly. “If he forgives you, then _perhaps_ I might.”

“I was gonna do that anyway, if he let me,” Gladio replied. He sighed, unfolding his arms. “I’m sorry I said those things about him. But… I’m not comfortable with it. You _know_ it’s gross right?”

“Yes, Gladiolus. I am aware how disgusting it is, how morally reprehensible a person would be to enjoy performing an act upon a helpless Pet. But it has to be done, for the sake of his health.” His eyes turned to Gladio’s, narrow and cold. “What would you have done to him? Put him down?”

He recoiled, horrified. “No! Gods no!”

“Because that was where he was destined, before I took him in,” Ignis answered with brutal honesty. “It is not a task I enjoy doing. But it’s much like checking his skin for ringworms or his hair for lice — an unwelcome necessity to being a responsible pet owner.”

“Couldn’t a vet—?”

“If I wanted to pay $100 every week or more to have them perform a task that takes approximately fifteen minutes,” he said coolly. “And yes, before you ask, I’ve attempted to give him a toy that he might use to perform the task without my assistance — and he only ended up hurting himself. And while I perform the unwanted task, I’m also checking for swollen glands and other abnormalities. I have tried other options, Gladiolus. None are adequate to his needs and his health. So damn you for your judgement, and refusing to look past your sick assumptions!”

He cringed and mumbled an apology again. He should have listened, and he shouldn’t have lashed out. He was no better than Prompto scratching Ignis in his attempt to get away — worse even, for harming an innocent Pet, when his reasons were not primal instincts of fear. 

Ignis took a few deep breaths, visibly calming himself down. When he spoke again, his voice was steady and controlled: “if you wish us to no longer use your establishment, I would request a refund on the rest of the year’s membership.”

Gladio ran a hand through the length of his hair, finger-combing out some of the knots in a quick pass. “If he feels safe enough to come back, you’re welcome to keep using the gym,” he said quietly. “It’s the least I can do. For being such an ass. If he doesn’t… yeah, I’ll give you the refund.” A full refund, but he wouldn’t mention that in case Iggy argued. 

“Thank you.” Ignis’s phone beeped. “Well it has been twenty minutes. I must return upstairs to look in on Prompto.”

Gladio was slower behind, chatting to the owner of the juice bar downstairs for a while before he wandered back up to his gym. 

Prompto had left the desk, at least — though it took a while to spot him. He was lying in the nest of Noct’s pillows and blankets, with the pedigree pet himself lying directly on top of him. The Switch was in both their views, and Noctis seemed to be showing him his Pokémon collection. Ignis was sat nearby, and was allowed to stroke his Pet’s hair without warning from either. 

Prompto tensed up when he noticed Gladio watching him, but Noct purred and nuzzled his head until the rescue relaxed back into the nest. 

They stayed like that for some time, until Ignis spoke gently: “should we go home now, Prompto? You’ll miss the chocobo races if we don’t return soon.”

Gladio put himself on the other side of the room from the exit, so he wasn’t a threat to the pathway. Ignis and Prompto put coats back on — and before they left, Prompto slunk over to where Noctis was standing and pouting. He rubbed his face and hair against Noct’s shoulder and neck, before giving him a shy smile. It was a friendly gesture, one Noct had only ever before tolerated from Reggie and Lunafreya without teeth getting involved. A sharing of scent, a marking of territory that was friendly instead of aggressive. 

Even more surprising was when Noct willingly returned the gesture — which he’d never seen in his life — and even gave a soft smile back. 

“Goodnight,” Gladio called to the departing guests, still looking at his pet in disbelief. 

“Goodnight Gladiolus,” Ignis called. He didn’t even get a wave from Prompto, but at least the Rescue hadn’t flinched at the sound of his voice. 

With a sigh, he turned to pack up the gym and wipe down the equipment. And then something hard struck him on the back of the head. “What the fuck, Noct?” He demanded, picking up the projectile. “Did you just throw a bottle of water at me?!”

Noctis was standing beside his crouched figure, raising himself to his full height. Okay so from feet to ears he was probably about as tall as slightly shorter-than-average human male, but with his tendency to sloth and ninety percent of his time spent sprawled on the floor or a bit of furniture, it was easily forgettable. When he was trying to be tall like this, it was a power move that Gladio rarely tolerated. 

Noct poked him in the chest, hard, flashing fang as he narrowed his eyes dangerously. “ **Don’t** be mean to Prompto again!” he growled. “Or I’ll call the LSPCA and tell them you’re abusing me!”

He rubbed the raised bump on the back of his head. “Alright! Shit, Noct. I already got read the riot act by Iggy. Don’t need you throwing things at me as well.”

Noct snuffed and turned away, smacking him in the face with his tail. “Prompto is under my protection now. I won’t let you upset him again.”

Gladio stared after him in disbelief. Where the hell had that come from?

Noct curled himself sinuously back into his nest and picked up his Switch. “Can we get pizza for dinner?”


	6. Prompto’s Trip To The Vets

It was still way too early in the morning when he woke up, his phone buzzing insistently. He turned over to ignore it. But then it buzzed a few times, and Noct — curled up on the foot of the bed — shifted over to bite him on the calf.

“Alright!” he groaned. He reached up to fumble his cell out of the dock and squinted at the screen. 

Missed Call from Babe (06:45)  
 **Babe [06:45]:** Gladio are you awake?  
Missed Call from Babe (06:46)  
 **Babe [06:46]:** I need you.  
 **Babe [06:46]:** Please call. 

Confused, he sat up. Ignis was a polite correspondent, following the unspoken etiquette of ‘call once and wait for a response’. Two missed calls and three texts were worrying enough — but the contents of the texts. 

His thumb (too fat for the tiny notifications) fumbled but did connect the phone to return the call. 

It answered almost instantly — but under Ignis’s relieved exhale of “Gladio!” he could hear the wailing of a distressed pet. Noct opened his eyes, instantly awake at the sound. 

“Fuck, Igs, what’s happening?”

“I need you, Gladio. Or, more specifically, your muscles.” 

He sat up, batting away Noct’s attempts to steal the phone from him, grabbing his jacket from the wardrobe. “I’m on my way. Igs, what’s happening?”

“Prompto is stuck under my bookcase. He tried to climb it, and it tipped over.”

“Is he hurt?” Gladio demanded, as Noct bit at his hands in agitation, one step behind him the whole way to the front door. 

“It’s hard to tell. He didn’t hit his head, at least.” 

“I’m leaving the house now — ow! **Noct**! — and he’s coming with me, apparently. Ten minutes. Try and calm him down, he’s only winding himself up tighter with all that wailing. Ow, Noct! Stop biting! I need to drive! And put your seatbelt on.”

“Thank you, Gladio,” Ignis said gratefully. “Thank you.”

He hung up the phone and dumped it in the centre console.

“You didn’t let me talk to him!” Noct whined, distressed. “He was crying!”

“We’ll be there in nine minutes,” Gladio growled back at him. He smoothly navigated his car into the overpass to the city. “Calm down. Do you want him to see you agitated and get worse?”

That seemed to get through to Noct at least. His Pet sat still in the passenger seat, but his tail lashed back and forth restlessly through the trip. As soon as the car was parked in the space behind Ignis’s, Noctis threw the passenger side door open and climbed out. 

He was knocking frantically on the door before Gladio had turned the car off. He opened it and went inside — he hoped Ignis had called permission to come in at least. 

Gladio rushed after him once the car was locked, and followed the sound of the agitated Rescue to the living room. The heavy ebony bookcase was overturned, and he entered quick enough to see Noct wriggling under the gap and giving a sort of warbling purring/meowing noise of comfort. Another new sound he hadn’t heard his Pet make before. 

Ignis touched Gladio’s arm gratefully. “Thank you for coming so swiftly, Gladio.”

“Of course. Let me lift this for you.” Giving Ignis a reassuring smile, he crossed to the fallen object. 

It was solid — as tall as Gladio or taller still, carved from a single piece of ebony and additional inlaid with panels of wood. For additional support and aesthetic. 

It was not an easy lift. He strained the muscles in his thighs and arms to lift it upward and place it back against the wall. Heavy tomes — a full set of antique encyclopaedias bound in beautiful black leather with gold embossed lettering on the spines — littered the floor where they’d fallen out. 

Noct hurried to knock several off of Prompto and curled into his side, purring and kneading at him protectively. 

Gladio leaned against the side of the bookcase to catch his breath. Ignis was staring at him, almost in disbelief. “I… Goodness, I was sure we would have to manage between the two of us to leverage it high enough for Prompto to crawl out. It seems I misunderestimated your strength.” He seemed almost flustered.

Something is keep in mind another time. 

“What happened? You said he was climbing it?”

“Ah. Yes.” Ignis pushed up his glasses. “We has an appointment at the Veterinarian this morning. You know how they feel about those. He put me on a merry chase about the house — it was all fun and games until he attempted to climb the bookcase.” He touched Gladio’s bicep, seemingly unbothered by the slick layer of sweat covering it. “Thank you for coming to our rescue, Gladio.”

“Any time.” He gave Ignis a tired smile, then nudged some books aside to kneel near Prompto. “Let’s check you out for injuries.”

  


The trip to the vet, which had previously only been a general check up, now became a necessary trip to reset and cast Prompto’s broken arm. 

The Rescue, all groggy and dazed from painkillers, was curled up in the back seat with Noct — who had refused with fang and nail to be separated from Prompto once during the whole morning. 

Gladio parked outside the townhouse and the two of them sat silently in the powered-down car a long moment. 

“I cannot thank you enough for coming to our aid today, Gladio,” Ignis said quietly. “But you must allow me to show my appreciation for it.”

“Iggy, it’s okay. You don’t gotta.”

“I insist.” He glanced back at the Pets in the backseat. “Perhaps you and Noctis could come to dinner this weekend?”

Gladio smiled softly. “Okay. Yeah. I’d like that.”

“Good. Then it is decided.” He hesitated a bit, then leaned in to press a soft kiss to Gladio’s just above the untrimmed line of his beard. “Thank you.”

Before Gladio could do more than blink in shock, Ignis was stepping out of the car and going around to coax Prompto free of Noct’s clutches. 

Once the two of them were safely inside their house, Noct growling unhappily and lashing his tail, Gladio reached up and touched his cheek with a faint blush. 


	7. Credit Card Fraud

It was a slow work day. A couple of people had come in to use the machines, but nothing to keep him really busy. Ignis and Prompto were his only real regulars -- and though he’d apologised last week, and gotten a brave smile in forgiveness, the place was still “too distressing” for Prompto to come back yet. 

So he was sitting behind the counter, feet up on a box of water bottles, reading a new book. And that was how he whiled away pretty much the whole day. 

Towards the evening, his cell rang in his back pocket. He saw a sleepy picture of Ignis, glaring at rather fondly him from Gladio’s bedsheets. He swiped the button and brought it up to his ear. 

“Good afternoon, Iggy,” he greeted.

“Good afternoon,” Ignis said, sounding amused. “Where is your Pet right now, Gladio?”

He glanced to the usual space on the floor — and then remembered that Noct hadn’t come with him today. When he’d been ready to leave and ready to grab Noct and go, he found his Pet on top of the kitchen cabinets. 

(“Not coming in to work then, Noct?” Gladio had asked, bemused.

In answer, Noct had turned over so his back was facing the room, pretending to be asleep.)

“He’s at home,” he answered with a slight frown. “Why do you ask?”

“Well, I enquire because it seems he’s currently in my pet suite, giving Prompto a tongue-bath.”

Gladio choked at that. “ _What_?” 

“And now I am the recipient of the most contemptuous look, I can only presume for telling you so.” Ignis chuckled. “No need to look at me like that, Noctis. I don’t come into your home uninvited and strip your Pet naked to lick all over his skin.” 

“Not uninvited,” he could hear Noct’s sullen mutter. “Prompto needs a wash. The vet said he’s not allowed in the shower, and he hates baths.” 

“Did he just imply you were his pet?” Ignis commented, amused. 

“Noct,” he growled.

“He is quite pretending he can’t hear you,” Ignis supplied helpfully. “I suggest you come to collect him after you’ve finished closing up the gymnasium for the evening. We might as well allow your dear Pet to make up for my failures at maintaining Prompto’s hygiene.”

“I’m sorry about him,” he typed quickly into the computer in front of him. “And yep. That’s a charge from the Pet Courier Company. Someone’s memorised my credit card number again.”

“Oh look. He’s gone back to pretending he can’t hear you again. Well.” Ignis cleared his throat. “I’ll see you this evening. Now I’m going to choose to make myself scarce before your Pet finishes cleaning everywhere currently exposed by his briefs and moves on.”

Gladio groaned in second-hand embarrassment. “Yeah. I’m gonna go cancel my credit card. Again.”

Ignis chuckled, the sound warm and familiar. “Very good. Goodbye Gladio.”

“Yeah. Later.” He hung up the phone and ran a hand through his hair. 

Noct had been unbearable since the incident on Monday with the bookshelf. Every day for the three following he had asked if they were going to see Prompto that night. He didn’t think he’d ever repeated “no, on the weekend” so many times in one week before. 

Last night Noct had insisted he called Ignis and confirmed the day. But apparently Noct hadn’t been satisfied with Sunday — three days was apparently too long to wait. So he’d taken it into his own hands to arrange a courier service to take him to Ignis’s house. 

After he went through the drama of cancelling his credit cards yet again — third times the charm — he cleaned and closed up the gym to head out to Iggy’s. 

It was the man himself who opened the door, instead of Prompto’s usual enthusiastic greeting. He was impeccably dressed as always, only dressed down by folding his sleeves above his elbows and unbuttoned the first of his shirt buttons at the collar. 

That little strip of skin at his collarbone should not have captured his attention as much as it did. He cleared his throat, and when he met Ignis’s eyes they were sparkling with amusement behind his lenses. “Good evening. Come in.”

“I should probably take Noct and go,” he said. “I’m sorry about him — again. I’d say it won’t happen again, but…”

“He squeezed himself through bathroom window. On the second story.” Ignis smirked as he closed the door behind him. “I believe he’s far too resourceful for you to be able to make that claim.”

“He’s a climber,” Gladio groaned. “When he can be bothered.” He headed through the house to open the door of the Pet suite. Prompto was thankfully dressed — though apparently in Noctis’s favourite set of pyjamas. He was sitting up in front of the TV, eyes tracking the progress of a chocobo race on a sports channel. 

A moment later he spotted Noct — at least properly dressed in outside wear suitable for winter — curled up with his head in Prompto’s lap. The slight flick of his tail made Gladio sure he’d noticed their presence, but was definitely ignoring it. 

“Noct,” he said firmly. 

Flick. Flick. 

“Noct, we’re going home.”

“Okay. Bye. Drive safe,” his Pet replied. Sassy little shit. 

“Noct. You know I can throw you over my shoulder and walk you out of here.”

And there he was, pretending he couldn’t hear again. 

He stepped towards the Pets aggressively, but paused when Ignis put a hand on his shoulder. He spotted it the instant after, the anxious tilt of Prompto’s ears. 

“Gladio, why don’t you stay for dinner?” Ignis proposed, his eyes tolerating no argument. “I have some fresh fillets of salmon that I was going to confit.”

“I’ll have mine rare,” Noct volunteered without raising himself from Prompto’s lap. 

Gladio scowled in his direction, but turned a nod to Ignis. “Yeah. Let me help.”

As quietly he could manage with his considerable weight (it was all muscle but still. He weighed a lot), he followed Ignis to the kitchen. He sighed in defeat when he noticed Prompto relax as soon as he left the room. 


	8. A Proposal

It was a slow process, but Prompto did slowly become comfortable around him again. 

Instead of getting his Pet’s company at the gym, each day Gladio dropped Noct off at Ignis’s townhouse on his way to work. But at least he seemed content — rather than indifferent — for the first time in his life. 

He was always careful with the way he behaved around Prompto, whenever he came to pick up Noct — or had to stay for dinner until Noct was sleepy enough not to bite when he carried him out to the car and away from his new friend. He made sure his posture was open, and relaxed, and kept a strong grip on his temper. If he had another outburst around Prompto, he knew that would he it. The Rescue would never trust him again. 

So he was careful, and slowly — by the time Prompto’s arm was freed from its cast — the Pet willingly came over to give him his customary greeting hug in the mornings. 

(After which Noct would always bat Gladio away and rub his scent across Prompto’s neck.)

After his arm was free, Noct no longer insisted on going to Prompto every morning. (Never to Iggy’s house. Always ‘go to Prompto’.) Instead he came to the gym instead, with his games. The weather was still too cold for outdoors exercise, so Ignis brought Prompto to the gym. 

Except now he stayed until Gladio closed up, speaking to him about their day as Gladio cleaned and shut things down. Prompto would clean up in the locker room — usually with a towel and wet wipes since he ‘hated the shower’ apparently. Then he would curl up with Noct and give an inquisitive sort of chirrupy mew until the Pedigree let him see the screen. 

“I’ve been thinking,” Ignis said suddenly one evening, as Gladio penned his poor takings into the books. 

“You usually do,” he teased fondly. 

“Why do you own a gymnasium, Gladiolus?” Ignis asked seriously. 

“Uh…”

“Your only other regular clients are four people who come to you for your personal training services,” he continued. “You could quite easily contract yourself independently and work out of any location.”

He ran a hand through the messy back of his hair. “I never thought about it,” he replied. “My dad wasn’t impressed with my career choice. A personal trainer wasn’t lofty enough for him or something. But he seems happy to pretend I’m a business owner, instead.”

“I’ve been inspecting your books lately,” Ignis announced. 

(“They’re upside down!” Gladio replied — ‘cause Iggy always stood on the other side of the counter. With both Pets and Gladio’s considerable bulk there really wasn’t room for him.)

“—and I’ve noticed that even though you own the building and collect from the juice cafe downstairs, you’re rarely in the black.”

He shrugged. “I make enough to break even. It’s not like I gotta worry about money. I’m a trust fund jock.”

“I had an alternative proposal,” Ignis answered. “Though it may require you to go back to college.”

“...I’m listening.”

Ignis’s proposed business plan was this — he had taken a few vet science courses as part of his masters in food science and wished to specialise in becoming a Pet nutritionist. He thought there might be need for someone who could teach owners how to properly exercise their pets — or in the cases of truly hands-off owners, exercise them for their convenience. 

“I could find any other personal trainer of course,” Ignis said carefully, “if it was a pursuit that doesn’t interest you. But…” He hesitated. “I’ve seen how careful you’ve been with Prompto since… well, with him recently. With your family background you must have absorbed a lot of knowledge. You would do the job more than credibly — so I thought I would bring the proposal to you first.”

Gladio watched him carefully, considering it. Be a PT for Pets? “I wouldn’t need to take any additional courses,” he began, “I took a few to get my qualification.”

Ignis gave him a sweet smile. “So you’ll consider it.”

“I ain’t saying yes,” Gladio warned. “But I’m gonna think about it.”

Ignis smiled and reached out to touch his hand. “Thank you, Gladio. And… even if you decide not to go into business with me, I’ll take a look at your books with you and we can see if your budget can take any trimming.”

“Thanks, Babe.” He froze up as he realised what he just said, his face feeling hot. “Uh. I mean.”

“A slip of the tongue,” Ignis said, giving him an easy out. “Now. I’ve got a Jabberwock sirloin back at home, and a freezer full of fish sticks. I would be glad of some company for dinner.”

Noct looked up then. “We’re going with Prompto for dinner,” he announced. 

“Please,” Gladio reminded him sternly. 

“I’ve already agreed you don’t have to say please,” Noct replied. And then he went back to licking at the sharp, clipped edges of Prompto’s ears. 

Gladio rolled his eyes. “I guess we’re coming over,” he told Ignis. 

“Excellent. We can take my car, and I will drop you off to work in the morning.”


	9. Peeping Hole

Gladio had, at long last, got to tear that maddening purple silk shirt off of Iggy’s body. And then just as he was working on the pants, there was a tentative knock on the bedroom door. 

He scowled. “Just ignore them,” he whispered to Iggy, desperate. 

“I simply can’t,” the maddeningly beautiful jerk replied, pushing Gladio’s hands away from his belt. “Prompto? Is that you?” He called. 

There was no reply. Concerned, Iggy went up to the door and opened it, looking about the hallway upstairs. “Hm. I am quite certain I heard his knock. You heard it too.”

“Maybe Noct was climbing somewhere?” Gladio suggested instead, patting the bed in invitation. 

Ignis’s eyes were dark with anticipation, unbuckling his belt as he approached the bed. “Perhaps. Keep an ear out, though.”

And just when Gladio had gotten Ignis gloriously naked, and was kissing and licking a path down his chest — the door burst open. 

“Prompto is acting funny again!” Noct declared impatiently. “Gladio, you can give Specs a tongue bath later!”

He was reeling from the shock of his Pet bursting in uninvited, and the ‘tongue bath’ comment — that he didn’t resist when Ignis pushed him off and reached for his underwear. 

“How do you mean, ‘acting funny’, Noct?” Ignis asked, already heading for the door. 

“He locked himself in the bathroom of the pet suite, with the shower on, and he’s crying.”

“Blast,” he muttered, as he hurried away, “I knew I should have checked on him.”

Cursing Noct for being the biggest fucking cockblock — cause it wasn’t fair to blame Prompto— he lay back on the bed and waited for his boner to give up. Once he was slightly more presentable, (shirtless was his preferred state anyway) he headed downstairs. 

Noct was crouched outside the bathroom, glaring as he looked through the hole where the doorknob had been removed. Gladio covered his eyes and pulled him away. 

“Noct. That’s private.”

“Why is Specs doing that?” Noct demanded with a growl, tail lashing about angrily. “That’s for mates. He does that with _you_ , he shouldn’t be doing that with Prompto! He’s not a Pet!”

Gladio groaned, reaching up to massage his forehead. He did not want to be having this conversation. “Look, remember when Grandma gave you The Talk?”

Noct wrinkled his nose up. “Unfortunately.”

“When you decided whether or not to be studded before you got _Fixed_ , she told you about how she would do it right?”

Noct cringed, crossing his legs protectively in reaction to the memory. Yeah, Gladio had the same reaction whenever he heard about his married friends’s vasectomies. Didn’t want to imagine having to remember getting one himself. (Gladio had opted not to get his Pet the full neuter, it just seemed cruel to take a guy’s balls. But he did have him snipped so he _did_ get involved with another pet, it wouldn’t cause expensive consequences. — not that Noct had ended up showing any interest in female Pets anyway. Or… anyone really.) “I know what Specs is _doing_ , Gladio. I asked _why_!”

“He’s… studding him,” he explained awkwardly. “Because of something that the scientists did to him when he was still a childer. If he isn’t taken care of like that, it hurts him. When he locks himself up and cries, it’s from pain because it’s been left too long since the last time. Does that make sense?” 

Noct looked grossed out and unhappy, tail still lashing about in bad temper. “But he’s not a Pet, Specs shouldn’t be the one to do that!”

“It’s not a… mating thing, Noct,” Gladio said — trying to push his Pet into the reassurance it took him months to get over. “It’s medical. Just to stop him from being in pain — like when I give you medicine when your head hurts.”

Noct huffed and scratched grumpily at the couch cushions. “I don’t like it,” he declared. 

“You don’t have to like it,” Gladio answered, letting his tone grow a little stern. “But Prompto needs it. So we don’t get involved in their business. Understand?” 

“Whatever.” He climbed over the top of the couch and tried to go back to looking through the hole in the door. 

Gladio just rolled his eyes and pulled his Pet back to the couch. “Play a game or something, Noct. They’ll be done in a few minutes.”

His Pet didn’t. Just climbed all over the furniture — including the bookcase that was now safely bolted into the wall to avoid further incidents — and swished his tail to knock everything over he could get away with. 

When the bathroom door opened and the others came out, Noct hurried over to Prompto — who was now dressed in a soft pair of pyjamas that Gladio was pretty sure he’d bought for Noct years ago — and dragged him over to a soft beanbag. Lying purposefully on top of him, he glared protectively at Ignis. 

The man just pushed up his glasses slightly to massage his eyes. “Did Gladio explain?”

Noct nodded silently, still glaring as he began to purposefully rub his scent over a sleepy Prompto’s neck. 

“Fine. We’re going back to bed. Prompto?” The blond glanced up with an inquisitive mew. “Nobody is going to be upset with you if you need to interrupt us again. Please don’t put yourself through unnecessary suffering because you mistakenly believe we would rather not deal with you.”

Avoiding Ignis’s gaze with an ashamed expression, he just nodded and closed his eyes again, letting Noct resume scenting him. 

Ignis turned back to Gladio. “Shall we return upstairs?”

“Yeah. Good idea. Noct, don’t tear up the place because you’re in a mood. These are Prompto’s things, you’ll only be hurting him for it.”

Noct looked offended at him and purposefully turned his head away. The familiar silent treatment. 

Gladio rolled his eyes and followed Ignis back upstairs. Maybe they could recover the mood…


	10. Partnership

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Minor dubious consent. Clarification in bottom notes.

He purchased another location for the juice bar that lived downstairs from his gym. Then he sold off the extra workout machines until he only had one set of each. 

A month later The Pet Health and Wellness Centre opened in the former location of his gym. As they estimated, most of their clientele came for Iggy’s nutritionist advice — but Gladio still had more work to do in a day than he had previously. They also kept a room for the local veterinarian college to send students for work experience at a free clinic. 

A lot of their work came from Pet Show participants, whose owners wanted them competition ready. (Thanks to his Grandmother spreading the word of his new business among the circuit and her acquaintances.) But Ignis also reached out to shelters and rescue organisations to make sure they were aware of their discounted services as well. 

Noct and Prompto had a room to themselves upstairs — as well as free range of the gym when Gladio didn’t have a PT Session booked. There was plenty for Noct to climb on, and a television for him to set up his games — and lots of soft cubbies for Prompto to make himself comfortable in, and pillows and beanbags for them both to laze all over. 

The more he interacted with Prompto, the more he learned about the Rescue. He didn’t act like the Pedigree Pets Gladio had known, he was already aware of that — but how different he was slowly sunk in. 

“He doesn’t make noise much, does he?” Gladio asked one afternoon. (They were at the park by Iggy’s place, Prompto happily running around while Noct watched after him grumpily — as if annoyed his friend wouldn’t just stay still so they could cuddle in the sun.)

“No,” Ignis agreed. “He’s more likely to speak than he is to vocalise.” He pushed up his glasses. “It has to do with the Facility he was raised in. You would be aware, of course, how important socialisation is between Childer? Particularly during the toddler stage?”

“...yeah.” Gladio swallowed. He could guess where this was going. 

“At the Facility, they were isolated as soon as they were weaned from their dams. A rather large part of Prompto’s ongoing issues can be attributed to this.”

“He never learned to be a _Pet_ ,” Gladio said with angry understanding. 

“Precisely. His ongoing interactions with Noctis have done more help than you can estimate, Gladio. He’s no longer as anxious around strange pets, now that he has a frame of reference for understanding their nonverbal communication.”

“Glad I could help,” he replied — and earned a kiss. 

  


Noct has quite an impact on Prompto, he learned more about that soon. 

With the two of them being together all day every day (because weekends were always spent with the four of them in company), Gladio finally noticed the pattern. 

Iggy used the vet surgery room every morning to take care of Prompto — sometimes the Pet was okay with letting the training vets watch, but never touch him. And sometimes he had to take care of him before they left for the evening as well. 

One night, when Gladio was over for dinner, he frowned slightly when Ignis returned from the Pet room, his sleeves rolled up. 

“Y’know, I just remembered,” he commented as Iggy sat, “thought you said Prompto only needed taking care of once a week.”

Ignis looked distinctly uncomfortable as he sipped from his red wine. “He used to,” he said. “Now he requires it significantly more often.”

“Is it an age thing?” Gladio asked. “Time of year?”

“No…” Ignis answered reluctantly. He sighed and poured himself another wine. “It’s linked to his own hormonal fluctuations.”

“Huh?” 

He sighed and gave Gladio a look. “The more he’s aroused, the shorter time between sessions.”

Gladio choked on his beer. “ _What_? But what is he—”

Ignis just looked pointedly through the door of the open Pet Suite, where they could see their pets. Noct was sprawled over Prompto, re-covering him in his scent. 

“...shit, really?”

“Quite.” 

“Sorry.”

“No need to apologise,” he said quietly. “The benefits of their friendship on Prompto’s development outweigh the inconvenience of the task.”

  


The next evening Gladio came back from an Agility Show, having given out some cards and worked his networks. Ignis looked flustered and angry as he came through the door. “Go control your Pet, Gladiolus!” he snapped, pushing him towards the stairs to the gym. 

He headed up without question — the glass door was blocked by the chest fly machine. He found it hard to believe lazy Noct had actually dragged it over himself. But as he saw through the glass he knew it must have been him. 

Noct was found sprawling on top of Prompto more often than not, but not like this. This was a position any breeder knew how to recognise. 

Noct had propped Prompto up — chest resting on a cushion, on his knees so his hips were raised. And then he had _mounted_ behind him. 

“Fuck no!” he snapped. He shoved his weight against the door, pushing his way through. 

He could hear Noct as he made his way through. It was a noise he was familiar with — though usually _through_ the barrier between dams in heat and interested males. A deep, rumbling purr that shifted to a high pitched, almost musical meow. A fucking mating call. 

At least they were clothed. 

“Nope! No you’re not!” Gladio growled. He came over and grabbed Noct about the waist, physically lifting him off and dragging him away. 

Prompto made a confused noise and scrambled to his feet, running over to the door and down the stairs. 

“Noctis Lucis Caelum!” Gladio snarled, all but slamming him down onto a seat. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

Noct, still clearly interested, did his best to look indifferent. “I feel sorry for Iggy if you can’t tell.”

“I know what you were trying to do,” Gladio snapped back. “I asked what you _think_ you’re doing!” Noct kneaded the cushion of his seat, sharpening his nails against the fabric. “I heard what Iggy said last night. Prompto wants me. I make him need help. So I should be the one to help him.”

“It’s not that simple, Noct!” he growled. “Did you _tell_ Prompto what you were doing?”

Noct gave him a bland look. “I was in the middle of explaining when you interrupted.”

Gladio rested his forehead in the palm of his hand. “Noct,” he said tiredly. “Prompto doesn’t _understand_. He can’t communicate in the same way Pets do.”

Slitted eyes watched him, tail swishing. “What do you mean?”

“It’s not my place to talk about, Noct,” he sighed. “It’s not my place to tell you that you can or can’t be with Prompto, either. That’s up to him. But you have to _talk_ to him. And I mean really talk. With words.”

“Like _people_?” Noct asked, nose wrinkling up in disgust. 

“If you can use my credit card to order yourself eight pounds of sashimi-grade salmon, then you can have a verbal conversation with Prompto about the fact you want to fuck him.”

“Don’t be crass, Gladio,” Noct replied, turning his back on him and flicking his tail. “I want him to be my mate. Not a _fuck_.”

“Well, I hope you’re willing to wait, Noct. Who knows how long you’ve scared him off for with this move.” 

Noct sniffed at him dismissively. “I can wait.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dubious consent: Noct initiates mating and mounting, unaware that Prompto can’t understand his intentions.


	11. Reggie

Gladio was genuinely surprised to be invited back to Iggy's place that afternoon. After Noct's disastrous attempt at.. Courtship, he expected to be told to go home at least. But instead, Ignis waited for him by the car — a nervous Prompto hidden behind his shoulder — and asked what he felt like having for dinner. 

Noct answered for them all as he pawed at the locked handle of the backseat door. "Salmon." 

Ignis rolled his eyes — but it was with fondness rather than annoyance with the cat. Whatever Noct had done to apologise to Prompto may not have entirely cleared up his anxiety — given the Rescue was still attempting to disappear inside Iggy's shadow — but it was enough for the owner to forgive him. 

"Okay, salmon for Noct. What about everyone else?" 

They debated menu options as they made the drive home to Iggy's townhouse, Noct unhappy in the front seat while he sat in the back with an anxious Prompto. 

The decision they settled on required a trip to the grocer's (never just a supermarket, not for Ignis Scientia), so they dropped the pets off and headed out themselves. 

When they returned, it was another disaster. Prompto was giving distressed squeaks of protest, and Noct was making some sort of territorial growl that was more canine than feline. The two of them hurried into the pet room and came to a stop in the doorway to take in the scene inside. 

An older Pedigree — middle aged, with greying dark hair — had a squirming, shouting Prompto sat in his lap, arm in hand as he bathed him with his tongue. The older pedigree was batting Noct off with a foot, much to the younger Pedigree's irritation. 

Ignis turned to Gladio with a disbelieving look. " _Please_ tell me you have some sort of explanation for this." 

He shifted awkwardly, fighting off a laugh. "That's Reggie. My dad's Pet." A smile tugged at his lips, despite Iggy's frown. "Noct's Sire." 

'Reggie', aka registered name King Regis Lucis Caelum CXIII, looked up at him with placid grey-hazel eyes. "Good evening, Gladiolus," he greeted, mouth only slightly muffled as he continued to bathe Prompto like a distempered kitten. "Are you going to introduce me to your mate?" 

"Ignis Scientia," the man himself answered, voice cool, "may I enquire as to _how_ you broke into my house?" 

"Didn't break in," Reggie responded, grabbing the scruff of Prompto's neck and forcefully resettling him on his lap as Rescue gnashed his teeth like an angry kitten. "Your bathroom window was open." 

Ignis took a deep, deep breath, and sighed it out. Then he took his spectacles off and began to clean the frames. "I see whence Noct inherited his penchant for scaling the outside of buildings from." 

Gladio's attempts to stifle his smile were getting more and more difficult. "I thought you had hip dysplasia," he commented, "how did you even manage?" 

"It was easy," Reggie answered, resettling a squirming Prompto again. "Besides, I heard from Rose that my little kitten had a mate and I simply had to come meet him." 

"Daaaad!" Noct wailed — apparently giving up on non-verbal communication when Reggie was clearly ignoring it — trying to dodge past the leg that continued to block his path. "Leave Prompto alone! You're covering up my scent!" 

"You know I'm gonna have to call Dad to come collect you, right?" Gladio asked. 

"Excellent. Clarus can join us for dinner and you can introduce him to yours." Reggie sounded way too smug about it. 

Ignis followed him in to the kitchen, staring at him hard for an explanation. "Sorry," Gladio apologised, as sincerely as he could manage. "Reggie is my grandma's main Sire for breeding," he explained. "Noct was the only kitten who didn't get adopted out, so he grew up in the house with Reggie. He's unusually attached for a Pet." 

Iggy's lips turned down in disapproval. 

"I'm sorry he broke into your house. But you gotta admit, seeing him annoy Noct is almost worth it, right?" 

A very slight smile tugged at the corner of his mouth, before he turned it down in disapproval again. "He's stressing out Prompto." 

"We'll go rescue Blondie when I'm done on the phone with my father. Okay?" 

"Very well. Tell your father to bring a side dish and filet of salmon, I didn't purchase enough for two extra mouths to feed." 

Gladio hadn't really intended to introduce his father to Iggy this soon, or for as long as he could get away with without upsetting his partner. It wasn't the best first impression to have Clarus Amicitia stomping into the house and immediately scolding — a completely indifferent — Reggie angrily. 

Ignis cleared his throat. "I can see where Gladiolus gets his temper. You're distressing Prompto." — who had only _just_ settled grumpily in Reggie's lap — "You will apologise." 

Reggie only looked smug. It was easy to see where Noctis got it from. 

Yet Clarus was surprisingly soft with Prompto — his voice tender and soothing as he apologised to the distressed Rescue and reassuring him that it was Regis who he was mad at, not Prompto. 

Reggie sighed and released Prompto, who rushed over to bury himself in Noct's chest for comfort. Then he turned to Clarus and spoke in the same imperious tone that only Pedigree pets seemed to manage successfully. "We're staying for dinner. Did you bring me salmon?" 

Clarus scowled, but presented the shopping bag. Gladio took it quickly. "I'll take care of that," he declared, and followed after Iggy into the kitchen. 

His partner was busy at the stove, preparing dinner. He set the bag down and began to unpack the contents. "Sorry about him." 

"You're very apologetic today," Ignis answered coolly. 

"It's been… eventful." 

"It has indeed. Pass me the pepper." 

At dinner, the Pets sat on the floor in the Pet Room with their plates while the three of them sat around the dining table to have a truly awkward dinner party. 

It was silent, other than the sounds of playfighting as Noct discovered Reggie had been given a larger portion of fish than him. 

Eventually, Clarus cleared his throat. "You are my son's new business partner, I take it?" He asked, in the tone of someone who was trying very hard to make small talk. You'd think with all his years in business, he'd be more successful at natural conversation — but all that seemed to vanish as soon as family was involved. He was never much of a father before Lilianna Amicitia had died — the most interaction he'd had with him was a nightly meeting where he questioned Gladio what he learned that day. Once Iris had been born and he'd been made a single parent, he put more effort in but had quickly decided the best course of action was to move out to the farm with their grandmother Rose. 

"Indeed I am," Ignis said, in a calm businesslike tone. 

Gladio grunted irritably. "He's not just my _business_ partner," he interrupted their polite niceties. "He's also my romantic one." 

"Oh." Clarus looked rather awkward at that. He wasn't particularly homophobic, he had that same reaction when Gladio had introduced him to Aranea too. "Pleased to meet you then, Ignis." 

"Likewise." Ignis glanced at Gladio after his response, something wondering in his gaze. But when Gladio made a questioning face at him, he just shook his head and smiled. "You are COO at Citadel Industries, are you not?" 

Much more comfortable with that line of conversation, Clarus passed the dinner in discussion with Ignis about… all sorts of business stuff. Stocks and economic projections and quarterly growth and blah blah blah. Whatever, boring business stuff. 

At least the Pets' Meeting The Parents meeting seemed to have gone better than his own. Forcible tongue baths and window climbing aside. 


	12. Scourge

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay I had this chapter mostly finished for like two weeks. My bad guys.

There was a client of Iggy’s that came in every time his precious pet had turned his nose up at a meal. Loqi owned a pedigree Tennebraen named Ravus, who hated everyone and everything _including_ Loqi. So, consequently, they saw Loqi every other day for an emergency appointment with Ignis. 

Whatever, his pet insurance kept paying for it, so they weren’t going to complain about the business. 

And then one afternoon, Loqi strode in dragging a strange, ragged Pet in behind him. Middle aged, some kind of Lucian mix with red hair and a very smug expression. A street Pet, Gladio had to guess, given the tangled hair and hobo clothes. He was wearing a ratty old fedora that covered up his ears. 

“Afternoon, Mr Tummelt,” Gladio said - since he was the one manning the front desk today. “Where’s Ravus?” 

“My sweet Pet,” Loqi answered sourly, “is at his vet’s surgery having a bite mark inspected.” He tugged the Lucian mix closer. “I’m not paying _good money_ for this stray. Your free clinic will test it for diseases so I know if Ravus needs to be have any immunisations.” 

Lucky for Loqi’s wallet, the vet clinic was open that day. He pushed the stray into the clinic room, and then… left. Gladio raised his eyebrows at Iggy, who had come to see what the fuss was about, and shook his head in amusement. 

But then Loqi… didn’t come back. The vet frowned each time he came out, and eventually they moved the stray into the Gym Room to isolate him. Noct glared at him through the glass of the door, as possessive about his ‘territory’ as ever. Prompto was hidden inside one of the round cubby holes, intimidated by the new pet in his safe space. 

Gladio went back down to the reception desk. 

It was a few hours before the results of the stray’s blood test came back. During that time Gladio fielded at least twenty phone calls from Loqi demanding more information. 

When the vet came out again, a worried look on his face, Gladio knew it was bad news. He reached for the phone to hit redial. 

"Where's the stray?" The vet asked. 

"In the gym. Why?" 

"It needs to be quarantined. It's carrying Scourge." 

Gladio felt his heart tank in his chest. The Scourge. 

A pet-exclusive blood disease that was responsible for more than half of the pet deaths. It decayed and disturbed their brains first, then ate away at their bodies. 

Pets could be immunized for Scourge, but direct contact with the blood or saliva of a carrier or infected pet could sometimes overcome the vaccine. Some pets had a natural immunity - particularly the Lucian pedigree - but they could still carry the disease for an incubation period. Gladio had never needed to get Noct vaccinated, but when it had swept through his grandmother's network, he'd been quarantined. 

Tennebrae were particularly susceptible, so Gladio let the vet have the joy of informing Loqi about his Pet's exposure. 

He volunteered to go upstairs to collect the stray to put in the Quarantine pod. 

He froze when he reached the top of the stairs. The door of the gym was propped open, and the stray was _sitting with Prompto_! 

"Hey! Get away from there!" He came over to pull him away from the cubby. "How did you get out of the gym?" He asked, more to himself. 

Yet, it was the stray who answered. "I merely operated the latch,” it responded. "I was rather bored in that room by myself, and I wanted to meet this cute little Niff." 

He forcibly picked up the stray and carried it away from Prompto. 

"What ARE you doing?" The stray asked, sounding smug and amused. 

"You need to be quarantined." 

"For Scourge again? If you must waste all of your time..." The stray relaxed in Gladio's grip, not putting up any resistance. 

It wasn't until he was sealed away that he spoke again - smug as he smirked like he'd gotten the cream. "By the way. You may want to check your pretty Lucian. He won't be infected himself, more's the pity. But we wouldn't want him to pass anything onto that pretty Niff, now would we?" 

  


Gladio winced at the sound of something _else_ crashing against the ground inside the pet room. Noct’s furious yowls could still be heard, and they’d already had _one_ visit from the police regarding a noise complaint. 

Noct did not like being quarantined. Specifically, he did not like being quarantined _away from Prompto_. The blond pet kept giving sad looks towards the closed and bolted Pet Room door. He was curled in Ignis’s lap, ears tilted back almost as far as they could go, pupils almost a full circle. He kept making unhappy little whimpers — more human than pet-like. 

Gladio sighed when he heard the scrape of the couch being dragged across the floor. “Are you sure it’s not better I take him back to my place?” 

“No,” Ignis said calmly, scratching his nails against the base of Prompto’s clipped ears. “At least this way he can smell and hear Prompto is safe, and still around. I imagine trying to keep him in the cottage would lead to him escaping.” 

He sighed — Iggy was probably right about that. “He’s going to trash the pet room.” 

“He won’t cause any permanent damage,” Ignis answered calmly. “He knows that’s Prompto’s safe place. He wouldn’t want to risk upsetting him any further.” 

The pet in question gave a soft whimper and hid his face in Iggy’s knee. Gladio reached out and rubbed a hand down his back. He sighed. “It’s going to be a long two weeks.” 

Inside the Pet Room, there was a loud thump of the couch being tipped over. He just sighed. 

**Author's Note:**

> One of my online friends suggested I start a discord server for people who read my fics to be able to interact with each other and with me. [So I did!](https://quicksilvernightsky.tumblr.com/post/184676196299/discord-server) Feel free to drop in.


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